UN launches $22 million education drive for 200,000 Sudanese children amid war

Since the April 2023 clash between rival militias, Sudan has experienced massive displacement and a collapse of schooling. Fourteen million people have been forced from their homes and 33.7 million now depend on humanitarian aid. The disruption leaves at least eight million school‑age children without access to classrooms, roughly half of the nation’s 17 million learners. In the three states targeted by the new programme—West Darfur, South Kordofan and Gedaref—educational challenges persist; in Darfur, 81 percent of schools are closed and 5.8 percent serve as shelters.

The UN’s global education fund is committing $22 million over three years to reach 200,000 children in those states. The design earmarks at least 60 percent of spots for girls and 10 percent for children with disabilities, aiming to address the groups most left behind. Activities will include establishing secure learning environments, delivering psychosocial assistance, enhancing teachers’ skills and providing textbooks and other materials. The rollout will be coordinated by Save the Children together with Plan International, LM International and local organisations Alsalam Organisation for Relief and Development and Sadagaat.

Sudan’s situation reflects a wider emergency: more than 258 million school‑aged children and adolescents worldwide face interrupted learning, and 93 million are completely out of school because of conflict or crisis. Nearly 80 per cent of those unable to attend school live in just 20 countries, where girls, displaced youths and children with disabilities are disproportionately excluded. To meet this challenge, Education Cannot Wait has launched the “Hope Starts Here” campaign, calling for $600 million to support 10 million children whose education is jeopardised by the world’s most severe crises.